Diamondbacks vs. Cubs Prediction and Odds for Thursday, May 19 (Zac Gallen to Shine Again for Arizona)

Is there a dark horse Cy Young candidate emerging in the desert?

The Arizona Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen has one of baseball's best ERA's and strikeout to walk rates this season. Tonight, he's on the mound to best the Chicago Cubs, who come off a 3-2 loss Wednesday at home to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.

Gallen has been fantastic, but the D-Backs as a whole have been frisky this season; hanging around .500 in a competitive NL West. Can he keep Arizona in the Wild Card mix?

Here are the odds for the series opener, with the Cubs countering with offseason signing Marcus Stroman, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook:

Diamondbacks vs. Cubs Odds, Run Line, Total

Run Line:

• Diamondbacks: -1.5 (+140)
• Cubs: +1.5 (-165)

Moneyline:

• Diamondbacks -108
• Cubs -102

Total:

• 8 (Over -110/Under -110)

Diamondbacks vs. Cubs Prediction and Pick

Gallen has been as good as any pitcher in all of baseball, allowing just four runs in 34.1 innings pitched this season while also only walking five batters thus far. His ERA is 1.05 and is supported by a fantastic FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) of 2.21, which means that Gallen hasn't been lucky with plays in the field, he is simply pitching at a high level for a Diamondbacks team exceeding expectations.

Now, he'll face off against a free-falling Cubs lineup. Chicago has the second highest strikeout rate in the month of May and the third lowest on-base percentage. The team has struggled at the dish and Gallen's strikeout/walk rate is the fourth highest in baseball this season. It's going to be a struggle for Chicago at home with the wind always playing a role.

I don't have much interest in a side, but I want to back Gallen to show up as usual this season. I'm going to take the Cubs team total under as my favorite bet for this series opening matchup.

LEAN: Cubs Team Total UNDER 3.5 (+100)

You can find all of Reed's bets HERE!